A Sabah cultural activist has slammed portions of a court submission where the defence counsel compared the annual harvest festival Unduk Ngadau pageant to an "exotic cattle show" and "auction show".
Activist Shireen Sikayun hit out at parts of the court submission which was a part of Sabah politician Phillip Among's molest case. The submission was written by Phillip's defence counsel Marcel Jude.
"In our multiracial community, one ought to be sensitive to the feelings of other communities.
"For a person who was born and brought up in Sabah, the statements made were outrageous, demeaning, and wholly insensitive to the feelings of the orang asal with whom he (Marcel) would have frequent interactions as a local himself," Shireen posted on Facebook yesterday.
When contacted, Shireen, who is president of the Pusat Sumber Adat dan Mediasi Kaum Anak Negeri Sabah (Pusaka) and a lawyer as well, said the document was first shared among local lawyers in the state.
Malaysiakini sighted a full copy of the submission shared by former Moyog assemblyperson Jennifer Lasimbang on Facebook.
According to the document, Marcel said, "The UNK (Unduk Ngadau) contest is not about women. It is just a contest, it doesn't incorporate all women, whatever their talents and skills and education and abilities, but it is nothing more than an exotic cattle show and almost feel like an auction show.
"There is nothing outstanding about these women and there (are) more women outstanding outside but they don't get to be the contestants.
"The UNK is a throwback to a former period where women are only objects of desire to be paraded around in an extravagant pet show," he said.
Malaysiakini understands a hard copy of the document has been submitted to the court.
Unduk Ngadau is a cultural pageant held in conjunction with the Kaamatan harvest festival in Sabah.
A summary of the submission was read in court during Phillip's bail application before Magistrate Jessica Ombou Kakayun in Kota Kinabalu on Thursday (June 10).
Contacted for comments, Marcel said, "Be careful to attribute to me what documents you found... ask your (journalist) colleagues what I actually said in court.
"Do not misquote me. I will give a statement in due course," he said.
Marcel also cautioned against a potential breach of the subjudice rule on comments over an ongoing court proceeding.
Shireen, however, said the issue of subjudice does not arise as the bail matter in Phillip's case has been heard.
Phillip Among @ Daniel Dell Fidelis, 52, claimed trial to four counts of molesting a local beauty pageant contestant and another charge of molesting another woman.
The Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku Rakyat Sabah (Star) Putatan parliamentary constituency coordinator was charged under Section 354 of the Penal Code.
On the first count, Phillip was reportedly accused of using criminal force with the intention to outrage the modesty of a woman in a living room of a premise at the Asia City Hotel in Kota Kinabalu at 11pm on April 17.
On the second to the fifth charge, he is accused of molesting an Unduk Ngadau contestant at four different locations around Kota Kinabalu - at a studio at the Asia City Hotel, inside a car, at the staircase beside a photo studio, and at an office at the Metro Town business centre - at 3.30pm, 9.45pm, 2pm, and 10pm respectively on May 19.
Following Marcel's submission, the court fixed July 14, 21, and 22 for pre-trial case management and released the accused on an RM8,000 bail for each of the charges, with two local sureties. - Mkini
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